Four women tell Broadly why sexism remains so insidious in show biz

The subject of gender inequality often centers on pay inequality, particularly since the Sony email hack in 2014, which revealed that Jennifer Lawrence had been paid less than her American Hustle co-stars Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper.

There’s no real scrutiny over unfair hiring practices, even if this disregards Title VII, the Civil Rights Act that forbids employment discrimination based on race, age, and gender.

Director Maria Giese finally turned to the justice system in October 2015 to combat widespread sexism in Hollywood, spearheading an American Civil Liberties Union’s investigation into Hollywood’s discrimination. The inquest concluded this month, reports Leila Hawkins, with each of the main Hollywood studios being charged with failing to employ female directors.

If the studios do not start hiring more women, they may very well have a major lawsuit on their hands.

“Regardless of how competent you are or how gifted you are, if you’re a woman and you want to direct studio features, unless you’re a movie star or related to a movie mogul, your chances are zero,” Giese told Broadly.

Giese says she’s hoping other young women, and girls like her nine-year-old daughter, will one day be able to get a fair shot at pursuing successful careers as directors without being marginalized or ignored by the major studios.